Colombia rebels tied to cells abroad

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MADRID (Agence France-Presse) — Colombian rebels have set up undercover cells abroad with a support network in 17 countries, a Spanish newspaper reported, quoting from documents found on the computer of a slain rebel leader.

The daily El Pais said the left-wing Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) were using a strategy involving setting up legal organizations, clandestine groups and new guerrilla teams.

El Pais said FARC was the central force behind a left-wing radical movement called the Bolivian Continental Coordinator, which had branches in 17 countries including Germany and Switzerland.

FARC was using these and other forums to set up support groups and underground cells, the newspaper said.

A diplomatic offensive seeking support throughout Latin America had found a providential friend in Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, said El Pais in the latest of a series accusing Mr. Chavez of secretly helping FARC.

El Pais said Mr. Chavez tried to arm the Colombian rebels with help from the former Soviet republic Belarus.

It quoted a message in a Feb. 8 e-mail from FARC leader Ivan Marquez saying Mr. Chavez had considered, with Belarus authorities, the possibility of providing weapons to FARC.

The e-mail was said to have been found in the seized computer of FARC second-in-command Raul Reyes, who was killed in March, said El Pais, a left-of-center newspaper close to Spain's Socialist government.

The latest El Pais article said the FARC diplomatic strategy had been launched 2002 at a difficult time for the rebels because they had just been added to a European Union list of terrorist organizations.

The daily reported last December that Venezuela had become a safe haven for FARC, harboring several rebel camps on its territory. Venezuela has denied this.

Venezuela has insisted that the files, seized by Colombia after it bombed a rebel camp in Ecuador, killing Reyes, are fakes.